Hayashi in third, Wieckowski leads

Democrats cruised to first-place finishes in Tuesday's Bay Area primary elections for the state Legislature, according to election returns early Wednesday morning.

Evan Low, a Democrat, was guaranteed to move on to the November general election in the South Bay's 28th Assembly District, while Chuck Page, a Republican, had a strong hold on second place with most precincts reporting. Barry Chang, a Democrat, was in third place. The top two vote-getters will square off in the fall to fill the seat of Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Cupertino, who will be termed out this year.

Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski won the 10th Senate District primary. With most more than two-thirds of precincts reporting, Republican businessman Peter Kuo was in second place, followed by former Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi.

The primary appeared to be a major disappointment for Hayashi, a Democrat who pleaded no contest in January 2012 to misdemeanor grand theft charges after being caught shoplifting $2,500 worth of merchandise from Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, in the race for Wieckowski's spot in the 25th Assembly District, Kansen Chu had a steady grip on first place with about three-quarters of precincts reporting. Bob Brunton was second. Chu, a Democrat, serves as a San Jose city councilman. Brunton, a Republican, is a former Ohlone College board member. The 25th district includes parts of Alameda County and the South Bay.

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Assemblyman Bill Quirk was the winner in the 20th Assembly District, having amassed an insurmountable lead with about 75 percent of precincts reporting. Jaime Patiño, a Republican financial analyst, took second place and will also advance to the November election.Quirk, a Democrat, is seeking a second term representing the East Bay district.

Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, crushed his competition in the 22nd Assembly District race on the Peninsula. Mullin is seeking a second term. Mark Gilham, a Republican businessman, was clinging to second place with all precincts reporting but thousands of provisional ballots remaining to be counted. Jonathan Emmanuel Madison, a Republican, was in third place.

Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, and Republican attorney Diane Gabl were the top vote-getters in the 24th Assembly District, with most precincts reporting. The incumbent won easily, while Gabl had a lock on second place over third-place finisher Greg Coladonato, a Democrat.
There were just two candidates in four other South Bay and Central Coast Assembly races, each of which featured a Democratic incumbent. The primary was a formality in those contests, since both candidates were guaranteed to advance to the general election.